HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - The Big Island Sports Hall of Fame recently inducted its newest class, and among the honorees was Super Bowl champion and National Football League veteran Max Unger.
It’s already been more than 10 years since the Seattle Seahawks controlled the NFL landscape with a world title and back-to-back conference championships.
Unger, a Kona native, was right in the mix of it all.
“Retirement can be hard for a lot of guys who necessarily didn’t want to be done playing football,” Unger said. “I was pretty excited to close that chapter in my life, being able to just kind of move back here and watch everybody else go through training camp, it feels pretty good.”
After retiring in 2019 as a member of the New Orleans Saints, he and his family moved back home to the Big Island.
Through 10 years of pro ball, the former center is thrilled to no longer be enduring the physical grind.
“The longer you play, the more it’s less about football and more body management,” Unger explained. “At the point if you’re spending more time in the training room, then on the field, and even in the meeting room, it becomes incredibly difficult.”
But the pain wasn’t without payoff.
Unger compiled a resume of highlights: three-time Pro Bowler, an all-pro season, and, among his proudest achievements, a championship from a dominant run in 2013 that brought Seattle its first Lombardi trophy.
“Obviously, I knew we had talent. There was no question we were a talented team,” Unger said. “I think the competition that we gave each other in training camp was also a pretty solid indicator. It was by far the most competitive team that I’ve ever been on.”
What’s even more remarkable is that he didn’t start playing football till high school because he couldn’t make the weight limit in Pop Warner.
Now, the proud son of Kona ranchers is an inductee into the Big Island Sports Hall of Fame.
“When you’re in it, you got the blinders on, you don’t really factor in what that means and the further out I get from it, the more, the significance of it kind of lands a little more,” Unger said. “I was always very proud to represent the places I just stated, but to kind of come back and be able to recognize that and have the hall of fame say hey come and join us, it does mean a lot to me.”
Unger remains close to the game and is an assistant offensive line coach at his alma mater, Hawaii Preparatory Academy.
For anyone looking to get into the sport, here’s some sound advice.
“When you show up as a rookie, just be in shape, and that’s kind of what I tell the students that I teach now and anybody that asks me that question,” Unger said. “Be willing to learn, be humble, and don’t make me coach effort. If you can do that, you’re gonna be miles ahead for the most part.”
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